We realize that the story that Barry Davis told on his visit to Austin is a lot to take in. The problem is that Coach Davis is passionate and such a good storyteller that he glosses over facts in the story that seem fairly mundane to him, but are just bananas to the general public. So if you had the time to rewatch 17 times and press pause every 30-90 seconds like I did, then this article is probably not for you. 

For everyone else . . . follow along with the timestamps below. 

1:08: 

"I would not weigh less than 10 over the day before."

That may seem like a lot . . .  it’s not, for a 174-pounder. For a 118-pounder, it's definitely a lot. 

1:26

"The key is the routine.”

I have mixed thoughts on this one. You hear the word "routine" thrown around by mental coaches a lot these days and while I think there is definitely power in an athlete feeling comfortable in any routine from weigh-ins to warmups to pre-match ritual, I also think that it’s important to disrupt the routine every once in a while just to keep you on your toes. 

2:30

“I was sucking so much weight that when Id get close to scratch weight I start dry-heaving with my sweats on/”

Can we talk for a second about how Barry glances over the fact Barry knew he was on weight because he would dry heave? I mean everyone that I know had a good enough relationship with their body to know when they were close to weight, and their body would give them certain signs, but this seems excessive. 

3:10

“If you didn’t get first place you were just a loser”

Umm, Barry Davis and Ricky Bobby had the same dad. I'm glad this had a happy ending. 

4:17

“I was number one, Darkus was number two.”

Remember when Barry says that he wasn’t even really thinking about the match and that all he cared about was making weight? Well, one thing that I think is kind of overlooked in this situation is the fact that Kevin Darkus from Iowa State was a pretty legit number two in the country. In fact, Barry would end up wrestling and beating him to win an NCAA title just a few weeks later. 

5:20

“But, for some reason, we were leaving on Friday morning.” 

How fickle is an athlete's psyche that not being in the right place and slightly changing the routine and can throw everything off the rails?

6:53

“It’s just not coming off.” 

When Barry says “it’s just not coming off,” you can see in my face that I'm visibly shook.  

Everyone has been there, maybe not 16 hours before the Big Ten weigh-ins, but everyone that has competed in this sport has experienced the feeling of working out and stepping back on the scale and it the number is not as small as you thought it was going to be. 

 7:40

“I put the note on Dave Fitzgerald’s locker.”

Coach . . . why does Iowa Wrestling in the ’80s have so many deserters? 

What the heck was going on in Iowa City in the early '80s that coach Gable had to basically have a direct line to the White House to keep his athletes on the team?

8:20

“If I don’t make weight that day I’m done.”

If you think about it, if Gable wasn’t as persistent on that one cold Iowa day the sport would have one less legend in it. If Barry quits wrestling that day then he doesn’t become Big Ten champ, he doesn’t become an NCAA champ, he doesn’t become a world silver medalist, and he doesn’t become the head coach at Wisconsin. 

9:48

“It’s not a good conversation.”

I love that he calls his inner voice a conversation. 

10:42

"ABC’s Wild World Of Sports to show the NCAA wrestling tournament.”

Talk about getting hit in the head with destiny . . . 

12:38

“He jumps in front of the exit . . ."

How crazy is it that Coach Gable jumped in front of the exit door like mall cop catching a teenage shoplifter?

13:11

“All right, Barry. What do you want to do?”

There is so much power in asking a question in this instance. I love coaching. I love this style of coaching. So many times when an athlete gives up on themselves it has to do with the fact that they feel as though they don’t have control of a particular situation. Asking a question puts the power of control back in the athlete’s hands and given the scope of the situation they almost always make the right choice. 

14:00

“ . . . and then I called the FBI . . . and then the CIA."

Ah, the video’s namesake! I do love this part of the video, but I'll start by saying this: please don’t allow Coach Gable wanting the federal government to start a nationwide manhunt for his 184-pounder distract you from the fact that Gable thought he saw Barry on a bus . . . and then he proceeded to try and run that bus off the road. Now, back to the appellation of this story. Does anyone reading this have the number for the FBI or the CIA? No? Me either. Is there a "Weight-Cutters-Snap-Like-A-Twig-On-The-Most-Important-Day-Of-Their-Competitive-Career-Thus-Far" helpline? 

14:28

“Barry, are you OK, son?”

THIS IS A TOTAL RELATIONSHIP-SHIFTING MOMENT that Coach Davis just glosses over. Coach Davis is probably coming back to Austin in June or July and I’d love to dive into his relationship with his dad if we all have time. 

15:13

“We’re here for a meeting.”

This one just strikes me as weird. Why not tell them that they need to use the facility? Why lie? Especially if you’re only going to run the stairs in the hotel. Who knows? It was the '80s. 

16:43

“He would always make me run ahead of him . . . in case I take off again.”

This is sounding more and more like a prisoner transfer, but I digress. 

18:20

“When he tried to get out, they held the door shut on him.”

Rick Sanders is part of wrestling lore. I want this full story. 

20:18

“You’re going to see me win an NCAA title on Wild World Of Sports.”

David Bray mentioned that this is one of the things that separates good from great. Most wrestlers that I know would have made the weight even after snapping the way that Barry did, but to turn around after that complete mental collapse and perform at the pinnacle of your ability is a completely different thing. On top of that, he had the gall to call his shot with some cabbie in Chicago. 

Outstanding.